Each Wednesday morning during Fall 1 and Fall 2 the entire HSM first-year class attended a seminar led by a different prominent player in the healthcare management field. For example, we heard from Richard Bartlett and Krishna Udayakumar from the Duke-based International Partnership for Innovative Healthcare Delivery. They both spoke about SalaUno, a center that provides affordable cataract surgeries in Mexico. In another seminar, Paula Garrett from Eli Lilly spoke about the power of consumer insights and segmentation by using Cialis as a case study. These seminars were a highlight of my week— I had the opportunity to catch up with my HSM classmates and participate in lively conversations about current issues facing the world healthcare market. The speakers and our discussions were very informative.

The November Duke Healthcare Conference was a day packed with speakers and networking. For me, the most interesting parts of the conference included the closing keynote by Jeff Henderson, the CFO of Cardinal Health, and a session on health insurance exchange implementation featuring panelists, some of whom were HSM alum, from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Deloitte, the State of North Carolina, and Aon Hewitt.

Cardinal Health CFO Jeff Henderson delivering the final keynote

The day concluded with a networking session for first years where we were able to interact with panelists and ask follow-up questions, as well as learn more about internship opportunities at various healthcare firms. I was thrilled to be able to speak with alumni from some of my top-choice firms for my summer internship. I left the healthcare conference grateful for the strong Fuqua HSM alumni network. I valued the opportunity to learn from alumni working in various aspects of the healthcare sector who shared unique insights about their work by serving as conference panelists or while interacting during the networking event.

In December, a group of HSMers gathered on a Friday evening for a “Town Hall” event right before Fuqua Friday to hear from Dr. Brian Caveney, Vice President and Medical Director of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. This session was an informal question-and-answer discussion in which Dr. Caveney discussed changes in the health insurance marketplace that resulted from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It was fascinating to hear about these changes from the payer perspective. I had read frequently about payers’ reactions to the ACA in the news, but hearing about these issues firsthand gave me additional context to better understand the situation. I have been able to apply what I learned during this talk in subsequent HSM classwork and even in my internship interviews.

With so many healthcare topics in the news and rapid changes in the industry, it’s beneficial to have healthcare events on campus to keep me in the loop on what’s happening in the real world. I think that the analytical perspective we get from these events—and the HSM program as a whole—provides the tools we need to be future managers and decision-makers in the healthcare field.

]]>https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2014/03/07/langerman/health-sector-management-hsm-highlights-in-fall-1-and-2/?category=health-care/feed1Thursday: A Day in the Life of a Fuqua MBA Studenthttps://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2014/01/16/langerman/thursday-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-fuqua-mba-student/?category=student-life
https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2014/01/16/langerman/thursday-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-fuqua-mba-student/?category=student-life#commentsThu, 16 Jan 2014 14:30:31 +0000http://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/?p=5495About this time last year, I remember wondering what day-to-day life would be like as an MBA student. Current students told me their days were packed with classes, speakers, and recruiting events. Still, I had trouble imagining what business school would really be like. Would assignments really be completed in teams? Would I spend the […]

]]>About this time last year, I remember wondering what day-to-day life would be like as an MBA student. Current students told me their days were packed with classes, speakers, and recruiting events. Still, I had trouble imagining what business school would really be like. Would assignments really be completed in teams? Would I spend the evenings studying? Would there be time to do hobbies I enjoyed, like running and cycling?

In this post, I hope to give you a sense of a typical Thursday for me at Fuqua during the first term, and address some of the questions you may have about business school. Of course, remember that this is just my experience. At Fuqua, you will tailor your daily life and activities to what you are most interested in, so each person’s day looks different. As you can see, the schedule is pretty packed, but for me, being engaged in school from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep is exactly why I chose Fuqua.

9:00 – 9:30 AM: Meet with my Fuqua buddy to discuss his summer internship. He worked at a local pharmaceutical company that I’m interested in, so it was great to hear his perspective. Each admitted student is assigned a first-year Fuqua buddy upon admission to Fuqua. Fuqua buddies are a great resource for questions about Fuqua and how to prepare for the year ahead.

9:30 – 10:30 AM: Sit in Fox Center and prepare for class.

10:30 AM – 12:45 PM: Biotech and Pharma Strategy class: Since I exempted from two core classes, I was able to take an elective course during Fall Term 1. This was a case-based class focused on topics such as pricing, vaccine launch, intellectual property, and acquisitions. One of my favorite parts of this course was learning from the second-year students’ contributions. They had great insights from their summer internships that enhanced the class discussion. For me, the highlight of the course was actually the final paper — my team developed a launch strategy for a new Hepatitis C drug expected to gain FDA approval in 2014.

12:45 – 1:45 PM: Lunch in Fox Center. Fuqua has a great cafeteria with a salad bar and many made-to-order options. Most business students eat lunch in the Fox Center so it’s a great opportunity to catch up with section mates or get to know new classmates.

1:45 – 4:00 PM: Accounting core class. During Global Institute, Fall 1, and Fall 2, first years typically attend all core classes with their section (the entire Daytime class is divided into 6 sections). Attending class with your section mates is a great way to get to know a subset of Fuquans more deeply. Before each accounting class we had a team case due, which we complete with our Consequential Leadership (C-LEAD) teams. One of the best lessons my team learned throughout the term was how to be more efficient in our meetings. When we were all busy with competing recruiting, academic, and social priorities, we wanted to make the most of each meeting while still ensuring that each member of the group understood the material presented. I am lucky to have a great team, so we had plenty of laughs throughout the term and have gotten to know each other well as both colleagues and friends.

4:15 – 6:30 PM: Statistics core class. The semester flies by and there is a ton of material packed into 6 weeks, so I had to push myself to be accountable to make sure I understood the material from each class. We had an online test due before each class so that was a good way to check understanding.

6:45 – 8:00 PM: Corporate presentation. Recruiting presentations start during Fall Term 1 for most industries including consulting, finance, marketing, and general management. Companies that recruit Fuqua MBAs typically have one official on-campus presentation about the company. Because of the strong Fuqua network, most of these companies send members from their leadership team who are Fuqua alumni. During presentations, these representatives typically give an overview of the company, explain available internship opportunities, and answer students’ questions. After the presentation, there is typically a networking reception where students have a chance to get to know the company representatives and get a better sense of company culture.

8:00 – 11:00 PM: Eat dinner, do homework and catch up on emails. Homework usually involves reading cases and preparing assignments in advance of group meetings. Most assignments are team assignments during Fall 1 and Fall 2. My study team met before each assignment was due so individually, I always took a stab at completing the assignment (or at least attempting to) so I would be prepared to contribute to our team meetings.

]]>https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2014/01/16/langerman/thursday-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-fuqua-mba-student/?category=student-life/feed1Favorite Experience at Fuqua So Far: HSM Boot Camphttps://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2013/10/12/langerman/favorite-experience-at-fuqua-so-far-hsm-boot-camp/?category=academics
https://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/2013/10/12/langerman/favorite-experience-at-fuqua-so-far-hsm-boot-camp/?category=academics#commentsSun, 13 Oct 2013 02:46:07 +0000http://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/duke-mba/?p=4957I moved to Durham on Saturday, July 20, and started the Health Sector Management (HSM) boot camp on Sunday. The boot camp was a quick transition back to school, and the perfect way to kick off my first year at Fuqua. It was a fascinating week packed with new information, engaging speakers and a taste […]

]]>I moved to Durham on Saturday, July 20, and started the Health Sector Management (HSM) boot camp on Sunday. The boot camp was a quick transition back to school, and the perfect way to kick off my first year at Fuqua. It was a fascinating week packed with new information, engaging speakers and a taste of the tremendous opportunities yet to come at Fuqua.

HSM boot camp was a 6-day comprehensive course designed to familiarize students with the structure and function of the US healthcare system. Through 21 lectures by experts in the field, we learned about the major players in the US healthcare system and how these players interact to form the healthcare system as a whole. We learned about the deep connection between government policy and healthcare, and gained insight on how health reform is going to alter the landscape of the US healthcare system.

The boot camp opened my eyes to areas of the healthcare sector that I had previously had little exposure to. I came to Fuqua from Washington, DC, where I worked as a Research Analyst at a health policy research firm evaluating and consulting on various health policy initiatives. From my previous work, I was familiar with many issues related to health policy, but much less familiar with some topics we dove into during the boot camp, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and managed care. The fact that my 85 classmates came from diverse backgrounds, from health consulting to pharmaceutical companies to providers, made for fascinating discussions. Another highlight of HSM boot camp was the nightly employer presentations about opportunities available for MBA interns and grads.

HSM boot camp made me very excited for what is to come this year through the HSM program: weekly seminars from prominent speakers in the healthcare field, the opportunity to pursue experiential learning opportunities and electives relevant to the field, and most importantly, the opportunity to take the knowledge I gain at Fuqua to my future internship and job to ultimately make a difference in the lives of patients.